The women's competition was the first national
track and field championships for
women in the United States. The tournament was held on 29 September 1923 at
Weequahic Park in
Newark, New Jersey.
Background After the initial
Women's World Games in
1922 in Paris and the three Women's Olympiads (
1921 Women's Olympiad,
1922 Women's Olympiad and
1923 Women's World Games) in Monaco, interest in
women's sports grew internationally. In 1922, the
Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA) was founded in the United Kingdom. The WAAA organised the first official British women's championships in track and field (
WAAA Championships) on 18 August 1923 at the Oxo Sports Ground in
Downham outside London. In the United States, the
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1888, and held its first national championship for women in the sport of swimming in
1916. Some historians consider this event to be the first "national" women's track meet. Female athletes for the 1923 games also trained at Weequahic Park. The athletes competed in 11 events:
running 50 yards, 100 yards,
relay race 4x110 yards,
hurdling 60 yards,
high jump,
long jump,
discus throw,
shot put,
javelin, baseball throw (
softball throw) and basketball throw. The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports. == Results ==